Battery support and protection structure for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A battery support structure for a vehicle includes a first peripheral member configured to be supported by a longitudinal section of a vehicle frame. A second peripheral member has an end surface that selectively attaches at an inside surface of the first peripheral member to enclose a corner section of a battery containment area. Prior to fixed attachment of the first and second peripheral members, a slip plane is defined between the end surface and the inside surface to adjust the second peripheral member along the first peripheral member to a predefined dimension of the battery containment area.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit and priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) ofU.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/376,135, filed Aug. 17, 2016,which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to vehicle battery supportstructures, and more particularly to structural components andprotective enclosures for concealing and protecting vehicle electroniccomponents and batteries, such as battery packs or modules or the likefor electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electric and hybrid-electric vehicles are typically designed to locateand package battery modules on the vehicle in a manner that protects thebatteries from damage when driving in various climates and environments,and also that protects the batteries from different types of impacts. Itis also fairly common for vehicle frames to locate batteries in aportion of the frame or sub-structure of the vehicle, such as betweenthe axles and near the floor of the vehicle, which can distribute theweight of the batteries across the vehicle frame and establish a lowcenter of gravity for the vehicle. Similar to other vehicle components,low weight and high strength-to-weight ratio are important properties inbattery support structural components.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention provides a vehicle battery support structure ortray that is configured to support and protect battery packs or modulesor the like for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. A sidereinforcement member of the battery support structure may form part of aperipheral wall that surrounds the battery containment area and mayinclude a beam adapted to absorb and reduce impact forces delivered toexterior portions of the side reinforcement member. The sidereinforcement member and other components of the battery supportstructure may also be formed with slip planes to provide adjustmentpoints for use prior to welding or fixing the battery support structureto form a battery containment area with precise selected or predefineddimensional specifications, such as to provide a sealed interiorcompartment. The side reinforcement member and other components of thebattery support structure may also provide load paths for transferringlateral impact forces around the battery containment area and limitingresulting disruption to the supported batteries and containment area.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery supportstructure for a vehicle includes a first peripheral member configured tobe supported by a longitudinal section of a vehicle frame. A secondperipheral member has an end surface that selectively attaches at aninside surface of the first peripheral member to enclose a cornersection of a containment area. Prior to fixed attachment of the firstand second peripheral members, a slip plane is defined between the endsurface and the inside surface to adjust the second peripheral memberalong the first peripheral member to a predefined dimension of thecontainment area.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a battery supportstructure for a vehicle includes a pair of side peripheral members thatare configured to attach at longitudinal sections or rails or sills orthe like at opposing sides of a vehicle frame. An end peripheral memberextends laterally between the side members to generally enclose a frontor a rear of a battery containment area. The opposing ends of the endperipheral member selectively attach at inside surfaces of the sideperipheral members. Prior to fixed attachment of the end peripheralmember at the side members, slip planes are defined between the ends ofthe end peripheral member and the inside surfaces. The slip planes areconfigured to longitudinally adjust the end peripheral member relativeto the side peripheral members to form the battery containment area witha predefined longitudinal dimension.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method offorming a battery support structure for a vehicle includes providing apair of side reinforcement members configured to attach at opposingrocker rails of a vehicle frame. Front and rear members arelongitudinally adjusted along slip planes defined between ends of thefront and rear member and inside vertical surfaces of the pair of sidereinforcement members to a predefined longitudinal distance between thefront and rear members. The front and rear member are welded to the pairof side reinforcement member to fix the predefined longitudinal distancebetween the front and rear members and to form a battery containmentarea. Optionally, a base plate may be attached along lower surfaces ofthe pair of side reinforcement members and the front and rear member,such that the base plate spans generally below the side reinforcementmembers and the front and rear members to provide a bottom surface ofthe battery containment area. Also, a plurality of cross members mayoptionally attach at the pair of side reinforcement members, so as tospan laterally between the reinforcement members for lateral impactforces to be transmitted through load paths along the cross members.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of thepresent invention will become apparent upon review of the followingspecification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a battery support structuredisposed at a mounting location on a vehicle in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is top plan view of the battery support structure and outline ofthe vehicle shown in FIG. 1, illustrating rocker rails of the vehicleand several battery modules held in the battery support structure indashed lines;

FIG. 3 is a front upper perspective view of the battery supportstructure shown in FIG. 1, illustrated separated or detached from avehicle;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the battery support structure shownin FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear upper perspective view of the battery support structureshown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the battery support structure shownin FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the battery support structureshown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the battery support structure shown in FIG.3;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the battery support structure shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a lower perspective view of the battery support structureshown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 11 is a lower perspective view of a front corner portion of thebattery support structure shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of a front corner portion of thebattery support structure shown in FIG. 7, illustrating a rocker rail ofa vehicle attached at a side reinforcement member of the battery supportstructure;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged upper perspective view of a portion of thebattery support structure shown in FIG. 3, illustrating a connectioninterface between cross members and a side reinforcement member;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged upper perspective view of a front corner portionof the battery support structure shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional upper perspective view of a portion of thebattery support structure shown in FIG. 13, taken at line XV-XV shown inFIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional front elevational view of the portion ofthe battery support structure shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of the side reinforcement membershown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an upper perspective view of the side reinforcement membersand the front and rear members of the battery support structure shown inFIG. 3, illustrating two slip planes;

FIG. 18A is a top plan view of the side reinforcement members and thefront and rear members of the battery support structure shown in FIG.18;

FIG. 19 is an upper perspective view of the side reinforcement membersand the front and rear members of the battery support structure shown inFIG. 18, illustrating the rear member adjusted along the slip planes toa different position from that shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 19A is a top plan view of the side reinforcement members and thefront and rear members of the battery support structure shown in FIG.19;

FIG. 20 is a flow chart of the process of forming a front member of thebatter support structure;

FIGS. 20A-20C are upper perspective views of the front member atdifferent steps of the forming process shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of the process of forming a side reinforcementmember of the batter support structure;

FIGS. 21A-21C are upper perspective views of the side reinforcementmember at different steps of the forming process shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of the process of forming a rear member of thebatter support structure;

FIGS. 22A-22D′ are upper perspective views of the rear member atdifferent steps of the forming process shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 23 is an exploded upper perspective view the side reinforcementmembers spaced away from the front and rear members of the battersupport structure; and

FIG. 24 is an upper perspective view the assembled batter supportstructure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiment depictedtherein, a vehicle battery support tray or structure 10 is provided forsupporting and protecting battery packs or modules or the like, such asfor an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Thebattery support structure 10 may be attached or mounted at or near thelower frame or rocker rails 14 of the vehicle 12, so as to locate thebattery modules 16 that are contained generally in a central location onthe vehicle 12 (FIG. 2), away from probable impact locations, and alsoin a location that evenly distributes the weight of the battery modules16 and provides the vehicle with a relatively low center of gravity. Itis contemplated that the battery support structure 10 may be disengagedor detached from the rocker rails 14 of the vehicle 12, such as forreplacing or performing maintenance on the battery modules 16 or relatedelectrical components. To facilitate this optional disengagement ordetachment, the battery support structure 10 can be a modular designwith standardized mounting locations capable of disengagement, such aswith bolts or releasable fasteners or the like. Also, the batterysupport structure 10 may be provided with a base plate 18 or panel thatis generally unobstructed to form the lowermost undercarriage surface ofthe vehicle body. Accordingly, the battery support structure 10, such asshown in FIG. 1, may span below the vehicle with a generally thinprofile, so as to accommodate various vehicle body types and designs.

The battery support structure 10 includes side reinforcement members 20or beams that form side portions or walls of a vehicle battery supportstructure 10. The side reinforcement members 20 and other components andportions of the battery support structure 10 may be formed withengineered slip planes, such as shown at slip planes 22 a, 22 b (FIG.12) along the upper beams 36 of the side reinforcement members 20 and atslip planes 22 c, 22 d (FIG. 18) at the ends of the front and rearmembers 28, 30. These slip planes provide adjustment points during theassembly and formation processes, such as to enable the battery supportstructure 10 to enclose a battery containment area 24 in a sealed mannerwith precise selected or predefined dimensional specifications. The slipplanes 22 a-22 d are also provided so as not to interrupt or compromiseload paths for transferring lateral impact forces around the batterycontainment area and for limiting disruption to the battery modules 16supported in the battery containment area.

The side reinforcement members 20 may be attached to a rocker rail 14 ofthe vehicle 12 to secure the vehicle battery support structure 10 to thevehicle frame and suspend it away from the ground surface, such as shownin FIG. 12 at an inboard location that does not substantially come intoa line of sight 26 of a person standing outside of the vehicle 12.Accordingly, the illustrated battery support structure 10 may spanlaterally across the vehicle between the rocker rails 14 and may alsoextends longitudinally generally between the axles or wheel locations ofthe vehicle 12, such that lateral impact or collision-related forces maybe transmitted from the rocker rails 14 to a side reinforcement member20 and laterally across the vehicle through load paths along the cross,front, and/or rear members of the battery support structure 10, tothereby prevent damage to the batteries contained in the supportstructure.

The battery containment area 24 of the battery support structure 10 isgenerally bound on four sides, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, by the twoside reinforcement members 20 and by a front member 28 and a rear member30 that each extend laterally between the side reinforcement members 20.Ends of the front and rear members 28, 30 engage at a generally verticalinside surface of the side reinforcement members 20, thereby formingslip planes 22 c, 22 d (FIG. 18) between ends of the front and rearmembers 28, 30 and the inside surface of the side reinforcement members20. Thus, prior to fixed attachment of the front and rear members 28, 30to the side reinforcement members 20, these slip planes 22 c, 22 dpermit longitudinal adjustment of the front and rear members 28, 30relative to the side reinforcement members 20 to precisely conform to apredefined longitudinal length or dimension of the battery containmentarea 24. For example, the longitudinal length L₁ of the batterycontainment area 24, such as shown in FIG. 18A, can be adjusted to ashorter longitudinal lengths L₂ of the battery containment area 24 by,prior to fixed attachment, adjusting the abutting position of the endsof the rear member 30 on the opposing side members 20 about thegenerally vertically oriented slip planes 22 c, 22 d to provide aprecise desired longitudinal length of the containment area 24.

The front and rear members 28, 30 may be formed with a generallyconsistent rectangular shaped cross section with a fixed height thatrespectively defines the height of the front and rear portions or wallsof the battery containment area 24. The side reinforcement members 20,as illustrated, are formed to provide a height that is substantiallyidentical to the fixed height of the front and rear members 28, 30, suchthat there is generally a constant height about the peripheral walls ofthe battery containment area 24. This consistent peripheral wall heightprovides even or generally flush top and bottom surfaces of theperipheral walls for attaching a top cover or plate at the top surfacesand a bottom cover or base plate 18 at the bottom surfaces, whichtogether seal the upper and lower portions of the battery containmentarea. The top cover is generally attached in a manner that is relativelyeasy to remove while maintaining the sealed battery containment area,such as via bolts or screws or other removable fasteners that maycompress a gasket or other sealing member between the top cover and thetop surface of the peripheral walls, so as to be able to remove the topcover and access the battery modules or other electric components housedin the battery containment area 24 for replacement, maintenance, orinspection or the like. The illustrated base plate 18 attaches at andspans generally below the side reinforcement members 20 and the frontand rear members 28, 30 to provide a bottom surface of the batterycontainment area 24 and a generally sealed interior lower portion of thebattery containment area 24. The base plate 18 may be attached toprovide the sealed connection along the bottom surface of the peripheralwalls via welding, adhesive, bolts, screws, and/or fasteners or thelike. As shown in FIG. 15, the seal between the base plate 18 and theside reinforcement members may be reinforced or supplemented with asealing agent or sealing material 32, such as an epoxy or siliconesealant or the like.

To form the side reinforcement members 20 with tight and precisedimensional control, such as for providing the height that issubstantially identical to the fixed height of the front and rearmembers 28, 30, the side reinforcement members 20 may be formed with abase beam 34 and an upper cap or beam 36 that are attached to each otherabout a vertical slip plane 22 a, to allow for vertical adjustment priorto welding or fixed attachment, such as about 2-3 millimeters ofadjustable vertical range. As shown in FIG. 14, the base beam 34 isformed from a metal sheet to provide adjacent tubes 38 that include acommon center wall 40 and a flange 42 extending upward near the commoncentral wall 40. The upper beam 36 engages along the flange 42 of thebase beam 34 to define the substantially vertical slip plane 22 a usedfor vertically adjusting the upper beam 36 relative to the base beam 34to achieve a selected height of the side reinforcement member 20 thatcorresponds to the height of the front and rear members 28, 30. It isalso contemplated that the side reinforcement members may be formed as asingle beam, such as an extruded or pultruded beam or a beam that isroll formed from a single sheet of metal or the like. The metal sheetthat may form the base beam 34 of the side reinforcement members 20 maycomprise a high strength steel, such as a cold worked martensitic steel.

Referring again to FIGS. 2-8, the battery support structure 24 alsoincludes cross members 44 that extend laterally to attach between theinside surfaces of the side reinforcement members 20. The cross members44 span between the side reinforcement members 20 to transmit lateralloads and impact forces through generally linear load paths along thecross members 44 to prevent laterally inward deformation to the sidereinforcement members 20 and thus limit disruption to the batterycontainment area 24. The cross members 44 may be formed to have a heightless than the height of the peripheral walls of the battery containmentarea 24 and instead to have a height that is generally aligned with thebase beam 34 of the side reinforcement members 20, such as shown inFIGS. 15 and 16. Accordingly, the upper walls 46 of the cross members 44may generally align with the upper walls 48 of the base beam 34 toprovide a direct load path transmission between these beams.

As further shown in FIGS. 13-15, the cross members 44 attach at theinside vertical surfaces of the side reinforcement members 20 and mayattach with additional support provided with brackets 50. Also, asealing agent or sealing material 51 (FIG. 3), such as an epoxy orsilicone sealant or the like, may be provided around the brackets 50and/or at other seams at or along the side reinforcement members 20 orother components within the battery containment area to reinforce theseal along the inside wall surface of the side reinforcement members 20.

With respect to the side reinforcement members 20, the base beam 34,such as shown in FIG. 17, may be formed from a metal sheet to provideadjacent tubes 38 that include a common center wall 40 disposed in agenerally vertical orientation. In doing so, lateral portions 58, 60 ofthe metal sheet that extend from opposing sides of the common centerwall 40 are bent generally simultaneously in the same rotationaldirection to attach respectively at an upper end 40 a and a lower end 40b of the common center wall 40 (FIG. 17). The outer lateral portion 58of the metal sheet extends outward (relative to the vehicle and thebattery support structure) from the upper end 40 a of the center wall 40to provide the outer upper wall 48 a that is generally perpendicular tothe vertical center wall 40. The outer lateral portion 58 is bentdownward from the outer upper wall 48 a to define the outward outsidewall 62 a of the base beam 34 having a generally vertical orientationand then bent inward at a downward angle to form an angled lower wall 64a. The angled lower wall 64 then attach the free edge 58 a of the outerlateral portion 58 at the radiused corner formed at the lower end 40 bof the center wall 40. It is also contemplated that the free edge may bebent upward into the interior volume of the outer tube 38 a and attachedat the center wall 40. Further, it is contemplated that thecross-sectional shape of the outer tube 38 a may be altered from theillustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 17.

As further illustrated in FIG. 17, the inner lateral portion 60 of themetal sheet extends inward (relative to the vehicle and the batterysupport structure) from the lower end 40 b of the center wall 40 toprovide an inner bottom wall 64 b of the side reinforcement beam that isgenerally perpendicular to the vertical center wall 40. The innerlateral portion 60 is bent upward from the inner bottom wall 64 b todefine the opposing outside wall 62 b of the base beam 34 having agenerally vertical orientation. At an upper portion of the outside wall62 b, the metal sheet is bent toward the center wall 40 to form an innerupper wall 48 b that attaches at the radiused corner formed at the upperend 40 a of the center wall 40. The inner lateral portion 60 of themetal sheet that attaches at the upper end 40 a of the common centerwall 40 includes a free edge 60 a that extends upward near the commoncenter wall beyond the attachment with the upper end 40 a of the centerwall 40 to provide the flange 42 along an upper portion of the base beam34. Accordingly, the flange 42 extends longitudinally along the lengthof the base beam 34. It is conceivable that the flange 42 may be angledfrom the vertical orientation and/or may attach at the outer upper wall48 a or lower on the common center wall 40. Further, it is contemplatedthat the cross-sectional shape of the inner tubes 38 b may be alteredfrom the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 17.

The side reinforcement member 20, as illustrated in FIG. 17, may alsoinclude an upper beam 36 that attaches along the flange 42 of the basebeam 34, where a slip plane 22 a is defined along the flange 42. Priorto welding the upper beam 36 to the flange 42, the upper beam 36 may bevertically adjusted relative to the base beam 34 about the slip plane 22a to provide a selected height of the overall side reinforcement member20 that corresponds to the height of the front and rear members 28, 30of the vehicle battery support structure 10. Specifically, the upperbeam 36 includes a transverse cross section with an inverted U-shapewith a first leg 36 a that engages the flange 42 to define a first slipplane 22 a and a second leg 36 b that engages the outside wall 62 b todefine a second slip plane 22 b substantially parallel to the first slipplane 22 a. The upper beam 36 is then vertically adjusted relative tothe base beam 34 about the first and second slip planes 22 a, 22 b to aselected height between a top surface of the upper beam 36 and a bottomsurface of the base beam 34 that is configured to correspond to thefixed height of the peripheral walls or otherwise ensure that theperipheral walls of the battery support structure 10 have a the fixedheight capable of forming a sealed interface with the base plate 16.Upon achieving the precise selected height, the upper beam 36 may beattached, such as by welding along the first and second legs of theupper beam to the flange an outer sidewall 62 b of the base beam 34 atthe selected height.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second legs 36 a, 36 b ofthe upper beam 36 include bend radii at a top section 36 c of the upperbeam 36 that interconnects the first and second legs 36 a, 36 b. Thebend radii of the upper beam 36 is smaller than the bend radii formed inthe base beam 34 to provide the substantially planar top surface of thetop section 36 c of the upper beam 36 with a larger surface area forattaching the top cover. The top surface of the top section 36 c alsoaligns with top surfaces of the front and rear members 28, 30. To allowthe tighter bend radiuses at the upper beam 36, the upper beam 36 maycomprise a metal material having a tensile strength of at most about1000 MPa and more preferably about 900 MPa, while the base beam 34 maycomprise a metal material having a tensile strength of at least about1100 MPa and more preferably about 1500 MPa. Also, the second leg 36 bis shown being longer than to the first leg 36 a to extend down to theside surface of the outer sidewall 62 b. The upper end of the outersidewall 62 b includes a slight outward bend or recessed area 66 havinga depth substantially equal to the thickness of the metal sheet forengaging the second leg 36 b and substantially aligning it with the midand lower portions of the outer sidewall 62 b. In the illustratedembodiment, the thickness is approximately 1 millimeter, but it iscontemplated that the thickness may vary from between about 0.5-3millimeters. Thus, the upper beam 36 is attached over the inner tube 38b, such that the outer tube 38 a is configured to attach at a rockerrail of a vehicle.

Referring now to FIGS. 20-24, exemplary illustrations are provided of anassembly process for the subassembly components that together form theperipheral sidewalls or cell of the battery support structure 10. Morespecifically, as illustrated in the flow chart in FIG. 20, the frontmember 28 is a subassembly component that may initially be provided atstep 84 as a roll formed beam 70, such as shown in FIG. 20A, having agenerally rectangular cross sectional shape. The roll formed beam 70 maythen be bent in a secondary step 86, such as to provide two bends alongthe beam 70 a, such as shown in FIG. 20B, which results in a forwardprotruding curvature. It is also contemplated that a sweep station orbending station may be provided at an end of a roll former line toprovide these bends or an alternative bend or bends in the beam prior tothe beam being cut to a desired length. At step 88, holes are laser cutwith a conventional laser and ends of the beam 70 b are trimmed, such asshown in FIG. 20C, to provide the precise angle for providing a frontmember (FIG. 24) that attaches to the side reinforcement beams 20 at aprecise position on the slip planes 22 c, 22 d to provide the preciselongitudinal length that generally corresponds with the shape of thevehicle and its battery packaging envelope.

With reference again to the formation of a side members 20, as shown inFIG. 21, an exemplary flow chart is provided that shows the process ofassembling one embodiment of a side member 20. At step 90, the base beam34 may be roll formed, such as in the configuration shown and describedabove in reference to FIG. 17. Also at step 90, the cap or upper beam 36is formed to correspond to the attachment points on the base beam 34,such as shown in FIG. 21. At step 92, upper surfaces of the base beam 34and upper beam 36 may be laser cut to provide holes 78 for inserting rivnuts 76, which may be used as attachment points, such as for the rockerrails and additional components, such as the top cover. At step 94, theupper beam 36 may be adjusted about the slip planes 22 a, 22 b, asdescribed above, and once precisely positioned, laser welded together toprovide a side reinforcement member 20, such as shown in FIG. 21C.

Further, as shown in FIG. 22, an exemplary flow chart is provided thatshows the process of forming a rear member 30 subassembly component. Atstep 96, a roll formed beam 72 a may be provided having a generallyrectangular cross sectional shape, such as shown in FIG. 22A. The rollformed beam 72 a, as step 98, may then be trimmed with a laser toprovide notches along the beam 72 b at the desired bending points thatcorrespond to the shape and desired angular bends of the final rearmember 30, such as shown in FIG. 22B and in more detail in FIG. 22B′.Specifically, the notches may remove material along three of the fourwalls, where the remaining wall portion may be the bending point and thetop and bottom walls have angular cutouts that correspond to the desiredangular transitions. Also, the notches at the top and bottom walls mayinclude interlocking features 74 to provide a more stable welding joint.After the notches are formed, at step 100, the beam is bent at the bendpoints to close the notches along the beam 72 c, such as shown in FIG.22C and in more detail in FIG. 22C′. Accordingly, once the beam is bent,the closed notches are welded, such as by using a laser welding processwith or without filler wire or powered metal deposition, the beam 72 cis fixed in its bent configuration. At step 102, ends of the beam 72 dare trimmed to provide the precise angle for attaching the ends to theside reinforcement beams 20 and to provide the precise length thatgenerally corresponds with the width of the vehicle. Also, as shown inFIGS. 22D and 22D′, riv nuts may also be inserted along the beam 72 d toprovide attachment points for additional components, such as the topcover.

In an additional embodiment, the rear member 30 may be a subassemblycomponent that is made from separate pieces of a beam, such as fiveseparate pieces of a roll formed beam, where the pieces may be laser cutto include the appropriate angle, such as to form miter joints betweeneach piece of the rear member 30. After the angles are cut or otherwiseformed on each separate piece of the beam, the joints are closed andattached together, such as by using a laser welding process with orwithout filler wire or powered metal deposition. Once the pieces areassembled and welded to form the rear member 30, the ends may be trimmedto provide the precise angle for attaching the ends to the sidereinforcement beams 20 and to provide the precise length that generallycorresponds with the width of the vehicle. Again with this embodiment,riv nuts 76 or other fasteners may also be inserted along hole 78 cut inthe rear member 30 to provide attachment points for additionalcomponents, such as the top cover.

Referring now to the assembly of the battery support structure 10, suchas shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, where a pair of side reinforcement members20 are provided to attach at opposing rocker rails of a vehicle frame.Front and rear members 28, 30 may also be provided, and prior to fixedattachment with the side members 20, longitudinally adjusted along theslip planes 22 c, 22 d (FIG. 18-19A) defined between ends of the frontand rear member 28, 30 and inside vertical surfaces of the pair of sidereinforcement members 20 to a predefined longitudinal length or distancebetween the front and rear members 28, 30. Upon making the adjustment tothe select longitudinal dimension, the front and rear members 28, 30 maybe welded to the pair of side reinforcement members 20 to fix thepredefined longitudinal distance between the front and rear members 28,30 and to form a battery containment area 24. The base plate 18 may thenbe attached along lower surfaces of the pair of side reinforcementmembers 20 and the front and rear members 28, 30, such that the baseplate 18 may span generally below the side reinforcement members 20 andthe front and rear members 28, 30 to provide a bottom surface of thebattery containment area 24. The cross members 44 may also be attachedat and span laterally between the pair of side reinforcement members 20,such that lateral impact force may be transmitted through load pathsalong the plurality of cross members 44 to limit disruption to thebattery containment area 24.

As also shown in FIGS. 11 and 22, the side reinforcement member hasholes 78, 80 that are laser cut with a conventional laser. The holes 78may be used, as shown in FIG. 12, for a bolt 82 or other fastener or thelike to engage a rocker rail 14 of the vehicle frame. Accordingly, theother larger holes 80 may be used for a tool to access the bolts 82 orother fastener upon engagement or disengagement. Also, several differentattachment techniques and configurations may be used to permanently orreleasable secure the battery support structure to a vehicle frame, suchas below a floor of the vehicle and generally between the axles.Further, with respect to the general installation or attachment orformation, the steps discussed herein may be performed in variousdifferent sequences from those discussed to result in engaging,disengaging, or forming the battery support structure or componentsthereof.

For purposes of this disclosure, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. However, itis to be understood that the invention may assume various alternativeorientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It isalso to be understood that the specific devices and processesillustrated in the attached drawings, and described in thisspecification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive conceptsdefined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and otherphysical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed hereinare not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly stateotherwise.

Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments maybe carried out without departing from the principles of the presentinvention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of theappended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patentlaw. The disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner, and itis to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intendedto be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possiblein light of the above teachings, and the disclosure may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A battery support structure for a vehicle,said battery support structure comprising: a plurality of frame membersattached together to surround a periphery of a battery containment areaof the battery support structure; wherein a peripheral member of theplurality of frame members comprises a closed cross-sectional shape thatextends along a length of the peripheral member, the closedcross-sectional shape comprising four walls that surround a hollowinterior of the peripheral member; wherein the peripheral membercomprises an angular transition along the length, the angular transitioncomprising a weld seam disposed along three walls of the four walls ofthe closed cross-sectional shape; and wherein a fourth wall of the fourwalls comprises a bend at the angular transition of the peripheralmember and is uninterrupted by the weld seam.
 2. The battery supportstructure of claim 1, wherein the peripheral member comprises adjacentlinear sections separated by the angular transition, and wherein alongitudinal extent of the adjacent linear sections are angled from eachother by the angular transition.
 3. The battery support structure ofclaim 2, further comprising a cross member attached at and extendinglaterally between opposing members of the plurality of frame members onopposing sides of the battery containment area, wherein the cross memberis configured for a lateral impact force to be transmitted through aload path along the cross member to limit disruption to the batterycontainment area.
 4. The battery support structure of claim 1, whereinthe fourth wall of the peripheral member comprises a portion of an innerside wall of the battery containment area.
 5. The battery supportstructure of claim 1, further comprising a base plate attached at andspanning generally below the plurality of frame members to provide abottom surface of the battery containment area.
 6. The battery supportstructure of claim 1, wherein the fourth wall of the peripheral membercomprises an uninterrupted inside surface of the peripheral member thatis oriented upright and configured to act as a barrier of the batterycontainment area.
 7. The battery support structure of claim 1, whereinthe peripheral member comprises a beam formed from a single metal sheetto provide a tube extending longitudinally along the peripheral member.8. The battery support structure of claim 1, wherein the weld seamattaches adjacent cut edges of the three walls that are formed by acutout section in the peripheral member, wherein the forth wall of thecross-sectional shape at the cutout section defines a bending point, andwherein, prior to forming the weld seam, the peripheral member is bentabout the bending point to close the cutout section and place theadjacent cut edges in contact.
 9. The battery support structure of claim1, wherein a second peripheral member of the plurality of frame memberscomprises a beam that has a curved section along its length.
 10. Thebattery support structure of claim 1, wherein prior to forming the weldseam, the peripheral member comprises a cutout section that forms cutedges along the three walls and a bending point at the fourth wall, andwherein the cutout section at the top and bottom walls of thecross-sectional shape comprises an angular shape that displaces the cutedges away from each other at a desired angle that corresponds to theangular transition that is formed by bending the peripheral member aboutthe bending point to close the cutout section when forming the weld seamto attach the cut edges together.
 11. A battery support structure for avehicle, said battery support structure comprising: a peripheral memberthat at least partially forms a peripheral wall that surrounds a batterycontainment area of the battery support structure; wherein theperipheral member comprises a closed cross-sectional shape that extendsconsistently along a length of the peripheral member, the closedcross-sectional shape comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, a first sidewall interconnecting the top and bottom walls, and a second side wallinterconnecting the top and bottom walls at an opposing side of theperipheral member from the first side wall; wherein the peripheralmember comprises a first linear section and a second linear sectionalong the length of the peripheral member; wherein the peripheral membercomprises an angular transition along its length between the first andsecond linear sections, the angular transition comprising a weld seamformed along the top wall, the first side wall, and the bottom wall ofthe closed cross-sectional shape; and wherein the second side wallcomprises a bend at the angular transition of the peripheral member, thebend in the second side wall being orthogonal relative to a linearextent of each of the first and second linear sections.
 12. The batterysupport structure of claim 11, wherein the angular transition betweenthe first and second linear section comprises an angle between 90 and180 degrees, and wherein the angular transition comprises a cornersection of the battery containment area.
 13. The battery supportstructure of claim 11, further comprising a cross member attached at andextending laterally between opposing portions of the peripheral wall onopposing sides of the battery containment area, wherein the cross memberis configured for a lateral impact force to be transmitted through aload path along the cross member to limit disruption to the batterycontainment area.
 14. The battery support structure of claim 11, whereinthe second side wall of the peripheral member comprises a portion of anouter side wall of the battery containment area.
 15. The battery supportstructure of claim 11, further comprising a base plate attached at andspanning generally below the peripheral wall to provide a bottom surfaceof the battery containment area.
 16. The battery support structure ofclaim 11, wherein the second side wall of the peripheral membercomprises an uninterrupted inside surface of the peripheral member thatis oriented upright and configured to act as a barrier of the batterycontainment area.
 17. The battery support structure of claim 11, whereinthe peripheral member comprises a beam formed from a metal sheet toprovide a tubular shape extending longitudinally along the length of theperipheral member.
 18. The battery support structure of claim 17,wherein the weld seam attaches adjacent cut edges of the top wall, thebottom wall, and the first side wall that are formed by a cutout sectionin the metal sheet of the peripheral member, wherein the second sidewall of the cross-sectional shape at the cutout section defines abending point, and wherein, prior to forming the weld seam, theperipheral member is bent about the bending point to close the cutoutsection and place the adjacent cut edges in contact.
 19. The batterysupport structure of claim 17, wherein prior to forming the weld seam,the peripheral member comprises a cutout section that forms cut edgesalong the top wall, the bottom wall, and the first side walls and abending point at the second side wall, and wherein the cutout section atthe top and bottom walls of the cross-sectional shape comprises anangular shape that displaces the cut edges away from each other at adesired angle that corresponds to the angular transition that is formedby bending the peripheral member about the bending point to close thecutout section when forming the weld seam to attach the cut edgestogether.